Walking through Ham Lands

One of the very best things about living where I do is the easy access to large natural spaces. Richmond Park is on the doorstep but generally I find it too full of cars and people to enjoy it properly. I much prefer Ham Lands, the unkempt area on the Surrey bank of the Thames as it slides from Kingston to Richmond via Teddington and Twickenham.

I took these pictures during a quick late-afternoon walk recently when the Spring sun tempted me out of the house. There are no people in any of them.

The sun mostly behaved itself and while a few white clouds tried to spoil the fun for most of the time the sunshine won and brought out the colours in the scenery. Greens and browns dominated the background and highlighted the predominantly white flowers.

There are many paths that cross Ham Lands and the one above is one of the larger and more prominent of them. For a lot of the time I felt as though not only was nobody nearby but that nobody had ever been there.

The sense of exploration is a large part of the fun and it always brings back memories of Rupert's adventures in the Surrey countryside.

Having plunged in to Ham Lands by Teddington Lock (another local delight) I emerged on to Riverside Drive a good while later. I had not taken a direct route and nor had I intended to. Being in Ham Lands was the point of the walk and a very rewarding walk it was too.